Even this Meadow Pipit is wet……… well what do you expect because we are in the middle of really horrible weather here in Devon. After weeks  of bright sunny, and dry conditions, we now have a total change and it is making bird photography very  difficult, not to say uncomfortable. Hoping that the afternoon would at least give some brightness in between the showers,I tried for a Dartmoor session, too much to resist after Monday's great visit. I had got myself set up and concealed by about 3 and at 3.15 three Meadow Pipits came to bathe. Sadly, and boringly that was it and by 6.15 when I had seen nothing else apart from one other pair of briefly visiting pipits, I called it a day. Wet but uplifted by the sighting of a probable Water Shrew that swam quickly across the shallow pool and disappeared in to the bank side after climbing out on to a boulder giving me a brief but exciting view.

Just getting back to birds in the garden, yesterday I took an interesting photo of a Collard Dove that I have been seeing recently. Now I am not sure that this lightness is caused by anything other than wear and tear or perhaps even bleaching from the sun, but it is certainly a dilute colour than the normal. It is not exactly white but is not as dark as a normal individual. It certainly is very attractive as well.